Post Office bosses are set to be challenged over the current closure of three more branches in Wirral.
Councillors Jenny Johnson (West Kirby & Thurstaston) and Lesley Rennie (Wallasey) are seeking all-party support to put pressure on the Post Office to have branches in Upton, Saughall Bridge and Wallasey Village reopened.
Between 1997 and 2010, some 7,462 post offices around the country were closed. Councillors believe that the pressures of the discredited Horizon IT system will have contributed to this, as innocent post masters and mistresses left the organisation in desperation.
Since 2010, the remaining 11,500 branches have been kept open, in return for increased taxpayer support.
More than 1,000 people have so far backed the campaign to restore a post office in Wallasey Village (https://www.change.org/p/reopen-a-post-office-in-wallasey-village?recruiter=155694170&recruited_by_id=ecd91c6b-1d85-4b42-8baa-d85a2bd2c5d1&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=share_for_starters_page&utm_medium=copylink&utm_content=cl_sharecopy_37835804_en-GB%3A10)
Councillor Lesley Rennie said: “The last few years have seen real pressure on our local shopping areas and small businesses.
“The loss of Grove Road Post Office in Wallasey Village has added to this pressure and was wholly avoidable. As late as December last year, the Post Office was telling us how committed they were to keeping it open.
“Since then, we have heard from many residents for whom this closure has caused genuine difficulty and made life that bit more difficult.
“The irony is that the Post Office network has actually increased over the last two years – with 269 opening. This suggests the argument about ‘cost pressures’ for the closure of Grove Road is nothing more than a smokescreen.”
Wirral West, Parliamentary Candidate, Councillor Jenny Johnson said: The immense distress, anguish and grievance caused by the Horizon scandal for Post Masters and Post Mistresses, their families and staff has shown this organisation to be failing at almost every level. Between the introduction of the Horizon IT system and 2010, many communities across Wirral lost their local post office. Now, in spite of all we have learned about the Post Office, they are failing to maintain what is left of the network in Wirral.
The Post Office, like many banks, seems to think they can simply walk away from their responsibilities to local communities, citing excuses such as cost pressures, profit margins or technology. We will be asking Wirral Council to remind the post office that, like the banks, they have been bailed out by the taxpayer and so we demand something in return for that investment.
At a meeting of all 66 councillors on 18 March, Councillors Johnson and Rennie will be asking for the authority to request all three branches are re-opened and that leaders of the four parties in the council also contact the Postal Affairs Minister, Kevin Hollinrake.
